How Choose a topic of interest, spend a little time researching it, have a discussion then publish the notes.

Why The main benefits are the fostering of a greater understanding of the world before we die and hopefully, to prompt further thought and discussion from our listeners.

The topic we will be discussing in this episode is (are?) Dinosaurs

Topic Overview

Over 200 million years ago, terrestrial and oceanic reptiles known collectively as Dinosaurs appeared and dominated Earth's fauna for approximately 135 million years. Fuelled by lush forests, warm temperatures and a conducive atmosphere, the diversity of clade Dinosauria ranged from rodent size carnivores, building size herbivores, seafaring goliaths and airborne hunters. Contemporaneous for much of their reign with birds and mammals, environmental changes conspired to tilt the balance of power towards these competitors ending their dominance and ultimately leading to their extinction. What do we know about the epoch in which they lived? What is the appeal of their enduring legacy and will we ever see their like again?

Off-topic

What we’re not talking about

Godzilla

Rod Stewart (known as ‘Dyno-Rod’ during the triassic)

Talking Points

Each bullet is a talking point. Sub-bullets are topics that may or may not be covered. Usage: Read the bullet and sub-bullets then talk about some or all sub-bullets.

What are dinosaurs?

What does the word ‘dinosaur’ mean to us

First discovery

1824, by William Buckland - found and named Megalosaurus. Sir Richard Owen coined ‘dinosaur’.

Fossils

Dating - radiometrics, sedimentary vs. igneous, radiocarbon

When did they reign?

Paleozoic 540-250 MYA - before the dinosaurs, Pangea super-continent

Triassic 250-200 MYA - start of mesozoic

Jurassic 200-145 MYA

Cretaceous 145-65 MYA - end of the mesozoic era, beginning of the Cenozoic

What came before dinosaurs?

Fish

sea crustaceans

bugs

archosaurs - from which the clade Dinosauria evolved

Birds are not descended from dinosaurs

Oh, but they are

Theropods

How were the big ones so big?

Lightweight, hollow bones

easy eating food, less chewing

water support

Oxygen levels

What covered their bones?

They probably weren’t scaly

Where did dinosaurs live?

All over the planet or what? Were T-rexes roaming around Brandon for example?

What was earth like during the dino-years?

How different were the shapes of continents and that sort of thing

climate, air quality, stuff like that.

How do we know how old they are?

fossil record

Meat eating dinosaurs were rare

No change there then. Carnivores are always a tiny minority in any pyramid.

10km meteorite strikethe Yucatan Peninsula which I’ve been to. Almost certainly the hottest place I’ve ever experienced. Probably why they all died. Drowned in their own sweat. At least the ones in the Yucatan Peninsula did.

Fastest ornithomimids. They were similar to Ostriches and could probably hit 25Mph (about 40kmh).

Most popular Tyrannosaurus Rex. Discoverer: Edward Drinker Cope

Longest name Micropachycephalosaurus. ‘Tiny thicky’

Cambrian Explosion

540 MYA

Glossary

Terminology specific to the topic

Cladistics The classification of organisms (including dinosaurs) according to their evolutionary relationships, rather than any external similarities. Creatures in different "clades" are less closely related than those in the same clade, even if they superficially resemble one another.

Kent ‘Dr Dino’ Hovind is a doctor and is an expert on dinosaurs. He has recently been released from prison.

Explains fossilisation through the mechanism of ‘hydrodynamic sorting’ which he uses to rationalise

Wrap Up

Details about site, contacts, next show: Extraterrestrial Life

Outro music choice - something open source or out of copyright so we don’t get sued

Dinosaur by Orange Corp, an alternative/indie/pop band from Western Massachusetts. Via LastFM